Five tips to make the benefits of working from home work for you

If you’ve ever gotten up in the morning and dreaded the idea of going out in the cold or sitting in rush hour traffic, you’ve probably dreamed of working from home. And years ago, that was all it was, a dream.

Times have changed, and for many workers, the dream of working from home is increasingly becoming a reality. Modern technology has made it easier than ever to connect to companies and coworkers remotely and employers across the nation are recognizing the financial benefits of allowing their employees to work from home.

The work-from-home movement has gained so much steam, there is now a Telework Week, which will be held this year from March 3 to 7 to encourage companies to give it a try. However, many businesses remain concerned that if employees work from home, productivity may suffer. To help businesses and employees ensure that time spent working from home does not hamper productivity, follow these five tips.

* Ensure you have the right tools to do the job. Encourage your business’s leaders to use modern technology to the fullest through a communications system that seamlessly integrates the office with employees’ homes. OfficeSuite by Broadview Networks makes working from home easier than ever by essentially turning any phone into a “work phone.” Ring groups provide the functionality of two lines for the price of one and the digital receptionist can be used to answer calls and route them to voice mail, a mobile phone or any other phone in the world, depending on your preferences.

* Set projects aside for teleworking. Some projects cater more easily to telework than others. As you plan out your work week, deadlines obviously take center stage, but after that, look at your projects and determine which ones can be done at home. Identifying those projects and capitalizing on the opportunity will make your telework time more productive.

* Keep your team on the same page. By using cloud-based document storage solutions like Google Drive, collaboration among team members in different locations becomes much easier. A solution that manages workflow and tracks edits and feedback within documents lets team members see the status of a project in real time.

* Answer the phone. Not answering your phone while teleworking makes you look bad because coworkers will speculate you’re not being productive. OfficeSuite offers mobile twinning that will ring two phones simultaneously so you never miss a call.

* Keep your surroundings to yourself. Good natured grumbling will only remain good natured for so long if you constantly remind your coworkers you’re working from the deck or next to the pool. Being cozy has its benefits over cube life but that doesn’t mean those stuck in the office want to hear about it, especially if they had to go out in the cold or sit in rush hour traffic.

To learn more about how OfficeSuite can help you achieve your maximum potential while teleworking, visit Broadviewnet.com.

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